KALIMPONG: LANDSLIDE STARTED DAMAGING HOUSES

By Nisha Chettri (TNI Kalimpong) ~ Edited By Pradiptamay Saha (TNI Siliguri)

Webdesk, TNI Kalimpong, 29th June, 2015: Yesterday’s higher intensity rainfall destroyed two houses in Bhalukhop, Leprosy road, Mission compound, ward-4 and the families could not seek help from the panchayat today as Sunday is a non-working day. Fortic Roy’s house was reportedly damaged last night around 3 am when the slope above his house started gushing down. Roy’s two rooms are filled with debris and another Suman Urau’s house has escaped the calamity but is in a higher threat. Fortic Roy who has a family of 9 said that they were sleeping while rain’s intensity multiplied, ‘we didn’t know what happened, we just heard bizarre sounds, the electricity was fluctuating and we later saw rubbles in my son and daughter-in-law’s room’ said Roy who was still petrified, adding that his Puja room was also damaged. Leprosy Road has a clustered population and the people around complains that the area has a bad drainage system, they firmly believed that the reason of frequent landslide in monsoon is the poor-unmaintained drainage system there, ‘If the drainage is not maintained further, this village can be washed off anytime’ said a person who didn’t want to be named. When this journalist inquired about the local authority’s role, the villagers gathered around and said that they have been pleading about a repair and maintenance of the drainage which certainly reached the deaf ears. However, no concerned authority was available to clarify the matter. Meanwhile, Suman Urau said that every family member sustained the last landslide with no injuries but they could not sleep after 3 am. Urau didn’t undergo losses last night but the wall above his house is feeble with higher probability of gushing down in case of another heavy rainfall. Similarly another two houses above theirs that belong to Narayan Karmakar and Bhavet Ran respectively is also in danger where the families are praying for lesser intensity of rainfall or no rainfall at all. Both Roy and Urau looked helpless when the Panchayat was closed today where in the other hand the duo said that they will have a word with the authoritytomorrow and demand for an immediate relief.

Photo: Nisha Chettri (TNI)